Of course, Magic fans probably will have bittersweet reactions to that.

On one hand, Gortat was, and still is, a fan favorite here in Central Florida. On the other hand, Magic fans probably rue the trade that sent him to the Phoenix Suns on Dec. 18, 2010.

Tonight, Gortat will play his first game at Amway Center since the trade.

“He could not be in a better place for the way he plays the game,” Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said today. “He is, and always has been, a great pick-and-roll guy. He understands that game. He screens. He rolls hard. He’s got great quickness. He’s got tremendous hands. He can catch on the move and finish. And he’s playing with arguably the best pick-and-roll point guard of all-time. So it’s really fit his skills. And he’s making a few jumpers and an occasional post-up. But if he’s averaging 16 a game, I’m going to say in the course of a year he’s averaging 12 to 14 on pick-and-rolls from Steve Nash. . . .

“He’s playing great. I certainly hope he doesn’t tonight. But other than that, I’m really, really happy for him because this is a guy who’s come a long, long way and has worked extremely hard. He deserves the success that he’s having.”